PUTRAJAYA (Oct 17): The National Physical Planning Council (MPFN) has given in-principle approval to the proposed development of the National Maritime Port City and Carey Island Port Special Economic Zone.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry, through the Department of Town and Country Planning, which serves as the council’s secretariat, remains committed to ensuring the orderly implementation of the country’s strategic development plans.

Its minister Nga Kor Ming said the project was expected to create up to 115,000 new jobs and contribute RM4.7 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) by 2045.

“The strategic development of Carey Island has the potential to strengthen Malaysia’s position as a regional maritime hub while stimulating economic growth and creating more job opportunities for the people.

“Port Klang is now ranked among the world’s top 10 ports. The Selangor state government and local authorities, particularly the Kuala Langat Municipal Council, are urged to incorporate the relevant land-use zones for Carey Island’s development into the Kuala Langat Local Plan 2030 in an orderly and phased manner,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Nga said the recommendation followed the council’s approval of the Carey Island Development Master Plan, which focuses on the National Maritime Port City and Carey Island Port Special Economic Zone.

The planned development covers a port area of 1,011.7ha and is expected to increase port handling capacity by 42 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers and 38 million tonnes of conventional cargo.

“According to Lloyd’s List One Hundred Ports 2026, Port Klang is now among the world’s 10 busiest container ports.

“With the development of the third terminal on Carey Island, the Madani government aims to further enhance the capacity, efficiency and competitiveness of the country’s ports, thereby strengthening Malaysia’s position as a leading global maritime hub,” he said.

The development area also has strategic access to the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Jalan Pulau Carey, Persiaran Pulau Lumut, Pulau Indah Expressway and Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS).

Nga said this infrastructure network was important to support the movement of goods, logistics activities and connectivity between the port area and surrounding economic centres, making phased land-use planning coordination essential.

The MPFN meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was held in Putrajaya on Oct 12.

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